I haven't even read where there is supposed to be a Led Zeppelin tour. Sure there's lots of rumors and speculation flying around but that's pretty much been the case since Zep decided to call it a day back in 1980. For years Plant refused to play any Zeppelin in concert and I can't say I blame him. It's a part of his legacy that will always overshadow his own work (same for Page and Jones). Unfortunately it's still overshadowing his work, most notably his current album and tour with Alison Krauss. A small handful of fans here actually seem to understand why he's touring with her and his motives behind the project as a whole while others seem to think he should be committed to some tour with Led Zeppelin that doesn't even exist. Personally I enjoy living in the here and now. If a Led Zeppelin tour is meant to me, it'll happen. I'm quite content with that myself.

That's why I posted the link to the Wiki entry about Super Size Me, there was much more at work in that movie than just an indictment with McDonalds. Take the time to read it and you'll see exactly what I was talking about.

Yes, I said Wiki isn't always the greatest source but the info in this instance is correct otherwise I wouldn't have cited it.

Try this station out of Nashville but there's plenty more out there: http://www.lightning100.com I got out of radio in the mid-90s when it seemed the syndicated morning shows were taking over. Automation was also stepping in. Jocks were pre-recording their shifts so it sounded like they were on the air nearly 24 hours a day and the playlists were all very strictly controlled. In other words, all of the fun had been sucked out of it. I had read one too many stories of announcers who became burnt out on music and could no longer listen to it anymore. I love music too much to allow that to ever happen to me. While I definitely miss it, I'm glad I got out radio when I did. That said, I love satellite radio. There's much more freedom there as far as playlists are concerned and best of all, there's no commercials. That's not to say you can't find any good stations on the airwaves in general anymore but in my area (Eastern NC) they are few and far between so I feel like I made the right decision in investing in satellite radio.

If it's "pretty right on key" how exactly is it "hilarious"? I know the nature of Wiki and that anyone can go in at any time and change the info but in this case the information is correct otherwise I wouldn't have cited it. My main point is that many seemed to entirely miss the intent of the film. It's not just McDonalds, the movie could have been made about virtually any fast food franchise. As mentioned, if you read the description I posted the link to, there's much more at work behind the movie than an indictment against the fast food industry in general.

I'm referring to commercial stations. I'm not sure if I could rattle off a long list of them off the top of my head but they do exist. One prime example would be the one I previously mentioned, KEXP out of Seattle but there are many more. Clear Channel has a stranglehold on the industry with their safe, highly restrictive playlists but thankfully they don't own every station out there.

Raising Sand is a "rockabilly" record? That's news to me. Sure there's hints of that sound on there but some people have also referred to it as a "bluegrass" album (which I don't hear at all). So when exactly did Townes Van Zandt (author of Nothin') become either a "rockabilly" or a "bluegrass" artist? To the best of my recollection he was neither. Check the songwriting credits for Raising Sand and you'll find that T Bone didn't just choose songs from one genre for Plant and Krauss to record but rather from a wide variety of styles, not just rockabilly, country or bluegrass: Rich Woman (Dorothy LaBostrie-McKinley Millet) Killing the Blues (Rowland Salley) Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us (Sam Phillips) Polly Come Home (Gene Clark) Gone, Gone, Gone (Done Moved On) (Phil and Don Everly) Through the Morning, Through the Night (Gene Clark) Please Read The Letter (Robert Plant-Michael Lee-Jimmy Page-Charlie Jones) Trampled Rose (Tom Waits-Kathleen Brennan) Fortune Teller (Naomi Neville) Stick With Me Baby (Mel Tillis) Nothin’ (Townes Van Zandt) Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson (Milt Campbell) Your Long Journey (A.D. Watson and Rosa Lee Watson) One show has been cancelled along with one DVD. It's not like multiple shows and multiple DVDs, just one of each and who's to say they won't chose another date on the tour to film for the DVD? I don't think either is cause for alarm. Several shows have also sold out. That's quite the achievement considering the price of gas and the sad state of the economy right now. Some people love to look for faults with this tour where they simply don't even exist. I'd love to know how one defines "Plant apologists". What if Page, Jones or Jason had a previous commitment to fulfill via touring behind an album they were obligated to prior to the reunion show at the 02. If each of us had to keep explaining why one of those members were committed to fulfilling that obligation would it then make us "apologists" for them as well? Not to even mention, there is NO Led Zeppelin tour in the works. They reunited to play one show at the 02. None of the surviving members of Zeppelin made any commitments beyond that.

That was merely my assessment of how several posters here seem to think the Plant/Krauss tour is somehow supposed to be some sort of Led Zeppelin show. How does that make me their "tour manager"?

And Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham have never played any Zeppelin songs outside of Led Zeppelin? Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck & Eric Clapton "Stairway to Heaven" (ARMs Concert) Jimmy Page & the Black Crowes "Ten Years Gone" The Duhks with John Paul Jones "Whole Lotta Love" (MerleFest) Jason Bonham Band In the Name of My Father: The ZepSet Those are just a few examples of Led Zeppelin members besides Plant performing Zep tunes with other people. There are many, many more.

Not sure if you're aware of it or not but there is a way to edit posts so you can fix any mistakes you may have made.

What does one expect to find at a site devoted to Plant's current solo career? Personally I would expect to find info about, well, his current solo career, not Led Zeppelin. Same thing if I visited sites for the respective solo careers of Page and Jones. If I was seeking info on their past with Led Zeppelin, well, I would go to a Led Zeppelin site. I'm curious as to how Plant has "slighted" Led Zeppelin? The recording and tour for Raising Sand were in place long before the reunion at the 02. By recording and touring with Alison Krauss he's only fulfilling a previous commitment, how is that "slighting" anybody, especially when there aren't even any plans for a Led Zeppelin tour? The surviving members did a concert in memory of Ahmet and that's all they ever committed to. No tour, no album, just a one-off show in memory of their dear friend, that's all.

That doesn't make much (if any) sense to me. While Raising Sand is much more than either Plant or Krauss have ever done before, it is also infused strongly with her many influences. I get the impression many fans have been attending these shows expecting some sort of Led Zeppelin thing. If they had listened to Raising Sand, saw CMT's Crossroads, sampled the clips on YouTube or downloaded any of the live shows from online sites such as Dime-A-Dozen, they would know exactly what they're getting into. It's not some sort of Led Zeppelin rehash.

There are still AOR stations now. When many of them switched over to the "Classic Rock" format the term used was "Heritage" AOR. In other words, they were stations that had been around for a long time but they tightened their playlists to the point where they weren't playing any new music (aside from the aforementioned core artists, if even that). That wouldn't even be enough to draw me back. I preferred when AOR not only played deep album tracks but also played all new rock n' roll music, not just new songs by the tried and true artists. In other words, I liked when AOR stations took a chance with new music. There's still some progressive stations out there (such as Seattle's KEXP) that take such risks but they are few and far between. I finally got fed up with commercial radio in general by the mid-90s and listened mainly to CDs and NPR. A few years ago I signed up for satellite radio. Wisest decision I've made in recent years.

What should Robert Plant do about what? I think he's doing exactly what he wants to do and more power to him for that. As for those that keep referring to Raising Sand as a "bluegrass" album, exactly what songs on there are bluegrass? If you look at the origins of those tunes they come from a wide variety of sources. For instance, when was Townes Van Zandt ever bluegrass? Fact is, he wasn't. I believe people categorizing that record as bluegrass is looking no further than Alison Krauss' background and not taking the time to actually pay attention to what she, Plant and T Bone created with Raising Sand. There's much more at work on that album than simply bluegrass. Also, good point about how Zep always reworked songs live. This was true all the way up through the Page/Plant tours and is extremely notable throughout Unledded. It's nothing new. The rearrangements don't always work but at least it shows Plant isn't afraid to try something new.

I don't know about a lot of AOR stations going AC but as someone with a background in radio I can say I witnessed a lot of former AOR stations tightening their formats in the 90s. There was also the rise of "Modern Rock" radio in the early 90s which featured new music so a lot of AOR stations switched to the dreaded "Classic Rock" format that cut out almost all new music unless it was by one of their core artists.

I'm curious how it makes someone a "Plant apologist" if they say he's only fulfilling his obligation to tour with Alison because of a commitment that was made prior to the 02 gig? I have no problem being critical of Zeppelin, Plant or any of the other surviving members but this isn't a critical standpoint, it's explaining to those that don't seem to understand that he's not holding up anything. There's not even any plans for a Led Zeppelin tour. The concert at the 02 was all that was promised and they delivered on that. As I've said several times before, Page, Jones and Jason could also be in the same position as Plant in regards to be obligated to previous commitments, it just so happens to be Plant. If some sort of Zeppelin reunion tour is meant to happen it will occur in due time.

It is. Not sure if you're a U2 fan or not but if you are be sure to check out Under A Blood Red Sky which was filmed at Red Rocks during their early days.

You can hear tons of samples at sites such as Amazon. Either that or just go ahead and take the plunge by purchasing one of their records.

I wouldn't say it's having a huge affect on the Plant/Krauss shows or that the tour is "smaller" or "less popular", especially since several of the shows have been sellouts but it is having an affect, yes.

Stop the presses, the new issue of Rolling Stone (Obama cover) includes a lengthy and very favorable feature on Rush. The times they are a-changin'...

Why is it good that Plant drowned out Alison Krauss? And who cares if they didn't play Hey, Hey What Can I Do? This is a Plant/Krauss tour, not a Led Zeppelin one. I'm also not sure where people keep getting the "bluegrass" thing from. That may be big part of Alison's background but there's a diverse array of musical styles at work on Raising Sand and in Plant and Krauss' live show, not just bluegrass.

Read this and tell me the price of gas isn't having an affect on concert attendance and the way artists as well have been affected. There's also a thread on the subject here.

I haven't seen or read that particular quote from Plant but I feel Raising Sand is a very innovative work not just for him but for Alison Krauss and music in general. In fact, I put it up there with Emmylou Harris' Wrecking Ball (definitely not a "country" record) for breaking new ground. I'd say there's much more at work on Raising Sand than country, it's forging an entirely new sound that has little in common with anything Plant and Krauss have ever done before. As for Zep III being "country", I can't say I hear it. I'd sooner liken the acoustic cuts on that album to folk than country.

I couldn't believe my eyes when my new issue of Rolling Stone arrived today (Obama cover) with a lengthy feature on Rush (that's right, Rush) included. It's well worth picking even for the most skeptical of skeptics especially when it comes to Rolling Stone's previous miniscule coverage of Rush. It's an extremely well done and very complimentary article.

I'd love to know where I ever said this: Fact of the matter is, I didn't. What I did say was this: I still eat fast food on occasion but for the most part I try my best to avoid it. Due to recent health concerns I've had to drastically change my diet. Now, on that rare occasion when I do eat something fried (not necessarily fast food) it doesn't sit well with me because of altering my diet. I never said eating just one burger from McDonalds would cause someone to "put on tons of pounds". It also seems some have completely misconstrued the purpose behind the movie Super-Size Me. For some accurate information regarding the movie I suggest reading this.